The Leo Apostel Center

in collaboration with the Doctoral Programme of the VUB invites everyone
to the 35th of its interdisciplinary seminars in the Foundations series.
In this series CLEA invites scholars that are actively engaged in the
research on the foundations of a particular discipline. Their lectures
will always be directed to an interdisciplinary audience, and the
discussions aim at confronting the foundations of the different
disciplines.



                WORLD-SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND MARXISM
                **********************************


                   by Prof. Dr. Pieter Saey
                   ************************
                    (University of Ghent)



Tuesday, April 27, 1999 at 5 p.m. in room 5C 401 (building C, 5th floor)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Campus Oefenplein

About the lecture
-----------------
The project of world-systems analysis dates from the seventies. As the
concepts of mode of production and exploitation belong to the basic
categories of world-systems analysis it can be placed within the Marxist
tradition. However, as it rejects developmentalism and the idea of
progress it may be better to call it "another Marxism" (P.Saey). Some of
the fundamental differences with orthodox Marxism are:
- although Marxism defines a world view without ontological (and even
epistemological) presuppositions, it remains an essentialist meta-
narrative; world-systems analysis is at the most a heuristic meta-
narrative;
- according to Marxism, capitalism is defined by the labor-capital
relation; according to world-systems analysis, capitalism is defined by
several forms of labor control, united into one single system of
geographical division of labor producing for the world market;
- for Marxism capitalism breeds its own gravedigger: labor as the
universal class, which implies the anachronistic character of cultural
resistance; for world-systems analysis anti-systemic movements - the
product of exploitation - can wage a cultural struggle against the
doctrines that compose the self-consciousness of capitalism
(universalism and racism/sexism).

About the speaker
-----------------
Pieter Saey is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the
University of Ghent. He received a Ph.D. in the geographical sciences
and a Ph.D. in town and country planning at that university. He started
his academic career at the University of Legon (Accra, Ghana). His
research has concentrated on theory formation in geography and town and
country planning, and on location theories of settlements and economic
activities. His current research and teaching focuses on world-systems
analysis, territoriality, spatial analysis and the theory of spatial
planning. He assists in the drawing up of spatial structure plans, and
is a member of several advisory bodies in the field of town and country
planning.


The presentation with questions will last about an hour. Afterwards, an
hour or more is reserved for an in-depth, group discussion of the topic.
More info at the CLEA office: phone 02-644 26 77 or via the Web-page:
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CLEA/